The Inuyasha Epilogue
by sophievioletfanfic
Summary: This is an epilogue, a continuation, of Inuyasha and Kagome's lives together after they defeat Naraku and live in Kaede's Village as a married couple. Please follow us on tumblr: www(dot)theinuyashaepilogue (dot)tumblr(dot)com to read the full story! (Still in progress!)
1. Chapter 1

**BOOK ONE**

**Chapter 1.**

_"Kagome! You're late for school! You're lunch is ready in the kitchen, hurry up and get changed! Kagome? Do you hear me? Kagome! Wake up!" I felt suffocated, like I couldn't move no matter how much I tried. That voice, it was so familiar._

_"Come on, Kagome!" It was calling me again. So close, yet so distant…_

I awoke suddenly. It was just a dream. I noticed I accidently got tangled with the sheets in my sleep again. A single thought filled my head. _Mom._ I had dreamt about her again. I missed her. I stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking about all I had left behind. My family, my friends. I felt a pang of sorrow. I really do miss them. But Miroku says it's normal, who wouldn't miss their family if they could never see them again? I sighed, and smiled as I turned to the left and saw Inuyasha next to me. He looked so peaceful like this. I remember nights when he would go days without sleep, just to look over Miroku, Sango, Shippo and I as we rested. But it's been half a year since we defeated Naraku and I married Inuyasha. I smiled just thinking about how peaceful he seems when he's asleep. One of his ears twitched and I grabbed a hold of his arm and set my head on his shoulder, inhaling his scent as I closed my eyes again. He smelled like freshly cut grass, like the soil smells after a rainy day. I love it.

His warm skin and the slow pace at which his chest raised and fell with every breath made me feel drowzy. I closed my eyes.

I awoke once more some hours later, but this time, Inuyasha wasn't next to me._ 'He must've gone out with Miroku'_, I thought. I got changed into my common robes, my white blouse and red pants. I headed over to Sango's house, walking slowly to take in my surroundings. I really liked living in Kaede's village, everyone worked together and knew each other. It was small enough that it seemed as if we were all related somwhow. Sango and Miroku's house wasn't far from ours, yet I took more time than neccesary getting there, appreciating the newly blossomed flowers that had come with spring. The fresh smell of the dew reminded me of Inuyasha and I shivered a bit.

I opposed formalities, and decided to get right into Sango's house instead of knocking. It was not an uncommon thing to do, at least not between us.

"Sango! You home?" I shouted as I entered.

"Good morning, Lady Kagome!" replied Rin who was sitting on the floor next to Kilala, playing with Kazuko, Sango and Miroku's third child. He was about 5 months old now, and a perfectly well behaved baby boy. Very much unlike his sisters…

"Kagome! Thank God you're here! The twins are being a handful today! They're out playing in the yard, but I was looking forward to spending the day with Kohaku today, it's the first time he's come back to visit in a while!" She spoke fast and was moving quickly around the house, as if she was looking for something.

"Oh that's right, Kohaku's coming today isn't he? He sure is getting bulky with all that training."

"I know! It's amazing, Myoga came by the other day and told me he was doing great." She paused for a moment, and walked over to a delicate wood cupboard on the far corner of the room and looked in the first drawer. "Here it is! My gas mask!" She threw her hand in the air as a sign of victory, clutching her mask with her fist.

"Oh hey, you still have that?" I asked geniunly curious.

"Yeah, I wanted to wear it today to go see Kohaku. I want to be fully dressed in my demon slayer clothes to see him. I don't know, I just haven't used it in forever." She smiled, remembering the old times. Then her smile fell a bit and she changed her tone.

"Kagome, can I ask you a favor?" It wasn't odd for Sango to ask for my help. But she never did so in such a serious tone. My mind buzzed while ideas of thousands of terrible scenarios flew through my mind.

"Sure… what is it?" Was someone hurt? _Was Sango in danger?_ Unless…

"Would you mind looking after Akira and Hana for a few hours? Just so I can have some time with Kohaku. I can't leave them here with Rin alone."

The twins. Don't mistake me, I adore them. I'd do just about anything for them. But they do tend to be quite a hassle at times.

"Okay, sure." I said as brightly as I could. Then a question popped inside my head. "By the way do you know where Inuyasha and Miroku are?"

"Oh! I forgot! Inuyasha wanted me to tell you that they went to exorcise a house in a nearby village. He told me to tell you he couldn't bring himself to wake you up. They should be back around noon." She said as she went to change in her room. _Well_, I thought, after _those dreams, the only thing I would've liked was for him to wake me._

"Mom!" "Momma!" Not unlike two small troublemakers, Akira and Hana came rushing into the house, their faces hidden behind a thick layes of mud. It was all over their bodies, completely covering them. Instead of seeming uncomfortable or disgusted, they were laughing and giggling.

"We got a little dur-ty," said Hana. Sango peeked her head out the door of her room and looked at the girls, her shirt buttoned only halfway.

"GIRLS! I thought I told you! Stop playing in the mud! All your clothes are nearly ruined!" She looked like she was about to explode when I intervened.

"Don't worry Sango, I'll get them cleaned up. Rin could you get some water please?"

"Of course Kagome!" Sango mouthed a 'Thank-you' and made her way back into her room to finish changing.

I looked at the twins and the track of mud they'd made from the door to where they were standing. I knew I was supposed to be mad, but their smiles were too cute for me too handle and the little brown footsteps they left on their way were somehow endearing. I couldn't help but grin.

"Sango! I'm back!" As if materializing from nowhere, Kohaku walked proudly into the room carrying his metal weapon wielded by Totosai over his shoulder. It looked like it must've weighed a ton, but Kohaku made carrying it around look easy.

"And how are my favorite nieces doing today?"

"Ko-ha-ku!" Both girls said in almost perfect unison, as they jumped up to hug him, tracking even more mud around.

"Hey Kohaku, how've you been?"

"Kagome! I'm great. My training's been going good as well, fortunately. How've you been? And Inuyasha?" Before I could answer any of his questions, Sango rushed out of her room in her black and pink demon slayer outfit, with her hair tied up perfectly and her gas mask in her hands. Seeing her like that made me feel temporarily nostalgic. She ran towards Kohaku, hugging him tightly.

"Kohaku!" she exclaimed. Kohaku giggled as he was attacked by his sister and nieces.

"You ready to go?" Kohaku asked.

"Of course! Girls, behave, alright?"

"Yes, Momma." "Wee pro-miss Momma!" Answered Akira and Hana. Sango shook her head and smiled. It seemed like no matter how much trouble they caused her, she could never stay mad for long.

"Kilala, let's go!" Kilala meowed and followed Kohaku and Sango outside. I could hear the flames forming around Kilala's legs and tails as she transformed and roared. Within moments, I knew they were flying away on her back.

I was left alone with Kazuko, who was quietly sleeping in his wooden crib on the floor and the twins, who were now finger painting drawings on the floor with mud, giggling.

"Let's go outside girls, we'll wash you both up." They followed me to the back of the house, were Rin was running towards us with a large bucket of water and some towels.

"Here you go, Kagome."

"Thanks, Rin. Mind helping me out a bit? I'm out numbered"

"Sure thing!" We spent a while getting the mud of Akira and Hana's skin. By the time we finished, the water had gone from perfectly transparent to a deep, murky brown. Even though I felt exhausted, the twins weren't still out of their hype and rushed to the house in a race. Their bodies were easy, the mud had slid down their soft skin; but their clothes, that was be quite the challenge.

As I tried to rub a spectacurarly difficult brown spot on Akira's pink cotton shirt, I couldn't help but let my mind wonder. I started to think about how much Sango and Miroku's lives have changed since they had kids. They were so happy, they were completely devoted to them, and I really was glad for them.

In my case, I couldn't really think about kids… I mean, I'd always thought I'd have kids much, much later in life, but in this world, women would have children around or before my age. When I was younger I used to dream about the day I would tell my son or daughter bedtime stories and put them to sleep, but ever since I met Inuyasha, the whole thought of having kids had slowly disappeared from my mind. Yet I couldn't help thinking about it after a day with the terrible twosome.

It was only a few moments after lunch that Miroku and Inuyasha came back to the village.

"I'm home!" Miroku's voice boomed, filling the room with excitement. Inuyasha was behind him, walking silently.

"Daaaddy!" Both girls ran towards Miroku, who instantly kneeled down beside them and let them climb onto him freely, tugging at his clothes, playing with him.

"Hey, how'd it go?" I asked, being pulled away from my inner turmoils.

"Kagome." Inuyasha appeared next to me without me noticing him. Maybe because he was so stealthy, or maybe because my brain had been so busy in other matters. He hugged me, pulling me softly but at the same time, with a carefully planned strength. Between his arms, I finally got myself to stop worrying. I really had missed him.

"It went great, of course. After all, I was there". He said confidently, still holding me close. He was always so full of himself! It was adorable.

"Well, Mr. Humility, if you did so good, what took you so long?"

"It only took half an hour. The village was a bit far away, that's all." He pushed me away, still holding me close by the shoulders. He looked at my face and smirked.

"Why, did you miss me?" _Yes._ "No, idiot". He laughed, and his laughter was music for my ears, as clichè as it seems. It was really a heartfelt, melodic sound.

"Anyway, I took care of the girls today. Rin went back to Kaede's house, but to be honest, the girls wore me out a bit." Miroku was now on the floor, playing peeka-boo with his daughters.

"Yeah, they're fiesty ones."

"That they are!" I replied.

"Hey, let's go back home. I'm tired too, I guess." I nodded.

We left after bidding goodbyes to the twins, who tried to get Inuyasha to stay so they would play with his ears. That only urged him to leave faster. We were soon walking down the little dirt path of the village. The sun was about to set, giving the sky the most beautiful colour palette, filled with orange, blue, red and purple. It reminded me of a watercolour my Mom had hung in the living room back home. The thoughts consumed me and once again I was spiralling down the path of nostalgia. My thoughts kept me so busy that I didn't realize I hadn't spoke a word until Inuyasha finally broke the silence.

"You alright? You're kind of quiet." His voice, usually cool and full of bravado, seemed worried.

"Yeah, I'm okay I guess. I dreamt about my mom yesterday."

"Oh…" He said as we entered our house. He looked down.

"Don't feel bad, I'm fine."

"I know, but you sacrified …so much.." He used to seem selfish to me, but I have learnt that there is no demon, or human, in the world as compassionate or willing to sacrifice more than Inuyasha. And for that, I only loved him even more.

"Inuyasha, I'm fine. Honest!" He still wouldn't say anything, advancing slowly as he walked.

"Hey"

"Yeah?" His ears perked up, awaiting an answer.

"Let's go to the cliff. Now, before nightfall." Inuyasha looked up, and when I saw his face I noticed it'd changed completely. His entire face lit up, and he smilied at me before putting Tetsusaiga down and grabbing my hand to follow him out the door. I laughed as he tugged on my arm like a small child.

"Come on, get on my back." I jumped up as soon as he hunched down. He ran, laughing, cheerful all the way to the cliff. The speed he picked up was so fast that the my hair flew wildly with the blowing winds. I was filled with the natural, sweet smell of him. With the wonderful sense of him. We got to the cliff in few minutes and sat at the very edge of it. We waited a while. And finally…

"Look up there, Kagome. It's starting."

This was something we did every few days. Inuyasha and I would go to the cliff, get as close as we could to the edge and watch the sun set. It wasn't like anything I'd ever seen in my time. Not even my mom's watercolour could compare to the beauty of a sunset in this world. The moutain scenary and the clouds that reflected the bright colors of the twilight hour were like nothing I'd ever witnessed.. The wind made the clouds move noticeably, and the colors radiated by the setting sun surrounded us like an aura, they danced around as if they were performing just for us. It was increible, no matter how many times I re-lived this experience, I knew I'd never get tired of it.

'_Just like Inuyasha,_' I thought , _'even if I lived for a million years, I could never get tired of him.'_

No matter how much I missed my old life, my friends, my loving mother… This life was something that I truely could never _give up_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

The sky was filled with clouds. It was mid-day when Inuyasha arrived, as I was setting the table for lunch at home.

"I'm back! Hey, this looks nice." He came in the room carrying a basket on his shoulder with some fairly large fish inside.

"Yeah, I dunno. I felt like eating with you today. Just the two of us." I shrugged as Inuyasha smiled a bit at my statement. I was not the kind of girl to go all romantic, but I really did want to spend some time with him.

"I got some fish for lunch. Think that'll do?"

"I got wood for the fire, it's out in the yard." I told him as I pointed towards the back door.

"On it." He said as he walked towards the backyard.

"Here, take the sticks to roast them with." I handed him some long metal sticks and followed him outside. He quickly got the fire going, flames rising in reds and pinks, and we sat staring at it while we waited for the fish to cook.

I threw my head back against Inuyasha's shoulder and my body to his. It was pleasant, to finally have some time for ourselves…

"Inuyasha!" Miroku came out of seemingly nowhere, running and almost out of breath. I wondered where he could be coming from, his house wasn't far away enough for him to look so tired. "Inu.. yasha.." He repeated when he was next to us, hunched and panting for air.

"God, Miroku, what's wrong with you, what happened?" Inuyasha asked, alert. Miroku took a moment more to answer.

"No; nothing, an exorcism…" He stopped once more to catch his breath. "A village nearby, they're offering five barrels of rice for whomever can exorcise some house! It's one of the wealthiest men of the village. He seemed quite desperate."

"Should be easy enough, it's nearby you said, right?" Inuyasha asked, his ears twitching slightly with adrenaline.

"Yeah, forty-five minutes. Maybe less if we really make a run for it."

"Ha. As if you could keep up with me at full speed." Inuyasha teased.

"Is that a challenge?" Miroku asked smirking. They were both at ease, even though they were about to go slay another demon. This had become a lifestyle for them, Miroku would use his Sacred Sutras to exorcise the demons and get them to appear, and Inuyasha would use Tetsusaiga- well, not even, sometimes just his claws to kill whatever flew out. But…

"Didn't you two just go exorcise a house yesterday?" I questioned.

"Yes, and?" Miroku asked, curious.

"Nothing… It's just…nothing. Forget about it." It was weird that they had jobs two days in a row. Don't get me wrong, Miroku's business was doing fine, but it wasn't too often that this would happen. And for some reason, it made my stomach churn.

They looked at each other and shrugged, clueless.

"Kagome, mind putting lunch off for a while? I shouldn't be gone too long." _Well…_

"Yeah sure it's okay. Don't worry about it."

"Great. See ya." Inuyasha jumped up and was off.

"Bye Kagome!" Miroku yelled as he waved, already from a noticeable distance.

I sighed. I really wanted Inuyasha for myself today.

A few hours went by. They were taking much longer than I'd expected. I ended up having lunch with Sango, who was glowing from her day with Kohaku. She wouldn't stop talking about it. It'd only been a day, but she was always extatic after seeing her brother.

In the afternoon, Jinenji came by to offer me some medicinal herbs. Thanks to him, I had been learning much about nature and it's uses. He, with his sweet, quiet voice, somehow made herbology an interesting topic to talk about.

"Hello, Kagome," The enormous Jinenji said in that soft voice of his, as he walked towards me, stomping and making the ground shiver with every step he took.

"Jinenji!" I yelled, I was geniunly very happy to see him. He blushed innocently as he always did when I hugged him.

"I found some new herbs that don't grow in your village, they are good for fevers." He said, handing me a small basket with a few green leaves.

"Jinenji, that's so sweet of you! Thank you!" I said as I accepted the basket. "Don't you wanna stay for a while? Catch up a bit, maybe?"

"I cannot, Kagome, my mother is waiting for me…It was nice to see you, although." He looked at the ground as he spoke, too embarassed to look into my eyes while refusing my offer. It was actually very cute.

"It's okay!" I smiled at him. "I'll see you around then, Jinenji." And just like that he stomped off again, waving goodbye.

It was around dawn, after the sun had finished setting that Miroku and Inuyasha came back. They walked slowly, and from a distance they seemed fine, but as they got closer I noticed that they were beaten up a bit. Miroku's left sleeve was torn at the elbow, and Inuyasha's Robe of the Fire Rat was covered in dirt. I ran towards them.

"Inuyasha! Miroku! What happened?" I asked in a raised voice. Inuyasha, who was holding the big, still-transformed Tetsusaiga over his shoulder swung it around and put it back in it's sheath before grabbing a hold of me. Instead of a hug, it seemed more like he was leaning on me for support.

"You guys said it would be quick! You were gone the entire day! What happened?"

"We're fine. It was just a bit tougher than expected." Inuyasha answered, serious. I could tell he was underselling it. I looked at Miroku.

"It was a plant demon. For some reason it was stronger than you'd think, no matter how many times Inuyasha cut him up the pieces would multiply. We got him with the Sutras though. I think."

"It would've been faster if you'd just let me use the Wind Scar!" Inuyasha complained like a disobidient toddler.

"Inuyasha how many times do I have to say it? You would've destroyed the entire village with a technique like that!" Inuyasha just groaned and looked away. He seemed frustrated. I ignored his attitude and asked Miroku,

"What about the rice barrels?"

"They're bringing them over tomorrow." I nodded. I tightened my grip on Inuyasha's arm.

"I'm going to head home, Inuyasha, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." He tone was uninterested, he was sure in a bad mood. I'd never seen them come back from an exorcism so angry. We were quiet.

"Inuyasha?" He looked at me. I didn't know exactly what to say so I just stared at him, worried. It took him a moment, but he smiled and looked down. I just hugged him, and we continued walking towards our house with my arms wrapped around his waist. The atmosphere seemed to have changed. Inuyasha was a bit more relaxed. Once we were in the house Inuyasha finally spoke.

"Kagome… I think I'm just gonna go to bed."

"Aren't you hungry? Don't you want dinner at least?"

"No, I'm not in the mood, just tired." He said, his back towards me as he walked toward the bedroom.

"Well… I'll go with you then."

"You'll stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Sure."

We made our way to the bedroom. Inuyasha didn't even change his clothes, he just threw himself on the bed above the sheets. I layed down beside him, and caressed his soft, long hair. As soon as I began doing that he moved towards me, his face near my chest. He dozed off instantly, and I followed not long after.

Suddenly I awoke.

Again I had this feeling of entanglement, suffocating, like I couldn't breathe…

But this time it was different. It was harsher and more constricting than before.

When I finally opened my eyes I was covered in thick, green plant roots. They were tight and strong, wrapping around me like a cacoon. I squirmed, but the more I moved the tighter the rope-like roots became. I grunted. I couldn't make much of a sound. My lungs felt as if they were about to collapse. My chest was squeezed much too tight for me to yell.

"Inu.. yasha" I nearly whispered. "Inuyasha, wake up," I breathed, as loud as I could manage. "Inuyasha" I said with the last of my strengths.

He moaned, and then he scrunched his nose, inhaling the scent of the demon. He finally opened his eyes and blinked a few times before fully waking up.

"What the…? Kagome!"

I could barely make a sound, my throat just croaked as I tried to respond. But before I could make the words roll out of my tounge, Inuyasha shouted my thoughts out loud.

"The plant demon!"

**FOLLOW US ON TUMBLR! **

**PLEASE FOLLOW OUR STORY (AND READ ALL THE CHAPTERS) AT . , . ! **


	3. Chapter 3

I will not be posting on here regularly.

**FOLLOW US ON TUMBLR! **

**PLEASE FOLLOW OUR STORY (AND READ ALL THE CHAPTERS) AT . , . ! **

**Chapter 3**

Inuyasha ripped his arm open with his claws before shouting out,

"Blades of blood!" The roots were all cut up, and the hold of my body eased up, allowing me to breathe. I coughed. my chest still felt as if it were closed up. I struggled trying, to inhale enough air in order to speak.

"Inuyasha…what was… How?" My voice was faint, almost a whisper.

"I don't know," he said grabbing my limp body to hug me. It was a few seconds later that we heard the roots moving on the floor.

"What is that?"

"They're reproducing. Just like they did back at the village." What? My brain couldn't understand it. How was that possible, if I just saw Inuyasha cut them in half! With a grunt he picked me up and took my outside, leaping above the demons. Once we were outside he set me gently on the ground. "Wait here. We need Miroku." He leaped up and towards his house. I could hear his urgent screams for help all the way from outside. The sun wasn't even up yet… It must've been early. I waited as I listened to Inuyasha and Miroku debating from a distance, but with every moment their voices became fainter, further… My eyelids were getting heavy. Before I knew it, I was out.

When I awoke I was looking at the ceiling. My ceiling? No… This wasn't my house.

"Kagome, yee are awake." I recognized Kaede's soft, croaky voice.

"Kaede…? What happened?" As I said this I tried to move but couldn't, my body felt as if it had been run over, I ached, everywhere. "What.."

"Kagome! Yee mustn't move! Yee have been badly wounded." I looked down, My whole torso was covered in white bandages with some green leaves coming out of them. Medicinal herbs, probably..

But it wasn't the bandages that kept me from moving, it was… It felt like… My skin.

"What happened to me, Kaede?" I questioned her, my voice trembling slightly.

"Don't yee remember Kagome? A plant demon attacked yee. It was the same demon that Inuyasha and Miroku had gone to slay. We think a root must've attached itself to a piece of Inuyasha's clothing or hair, and then it began replicating until it was big enough to attack you at night"

"My … Body, God, it feels like it's made of stone."

"Those are the bruises, they're all over yee. That demon was getting ready to devour yee. We're lucky Miroku got there when he did, he got it with the Sutras. Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga was useless against it."

And then I noticed it. He wasn't here.

"Inuyasha! Where is he?!" I asked in desperation. What if something had happened to him? I tried to get up but my body opposed my mind. It took everything that was left of my strength just to sit up.

"Kagome stop that! Yee need to rest." She said, pushing me back down by the shoulders, with a look of grief in her face.

"He went to look for more herbs for you just now. He should be back soon." I gave into my fatigue and lay back down again. I closed my eyes and passed out.

I woke back up and surely enough Inuyasha was back.

"Inuyasha.."

"Kagome, how do you feel?" His voice lacked the excitement it usually had. It was sort and serious, almost a murmur.

"I'm fine." I patted the floor next to me, signaling him to come lay with me, but he wouldn't listen. He just sat there looking at me.

"Inuyasha what's wrong?" He looked shameful and sad, he wouldn't respond. "Inuyasha?"

"Kagome, you know you almost died, right?"

"No, Inuyasha I'm fine, seriously." Now he just looked angry. Like there was something I was missing.

"You are not fine! You can barely move, your skin's black and blue and completely bruised!" I thought about it. I hadn't really seen my skin below the bandages yet. Was it really that bad? I tried to calm him down.

"It's okay, bruises heal quickly…"

"It's not just bruises, Kagome…" he was seething, I could tell. His voice had become louder and more enraged. "You were bleeding internally. It stopped now but… If it hadn't…" His voice was softer now, not angry but regretful somehow.

"What? What is it?" He was still looking down, he wouldn't meet my gaze.

"You aren't like me, Kagome. You're fragile. You haven't and won't live as long as I will. I just-"

"Stop it. Stop thinking like that, nothings going to happen to me." He dared to look at me. His golden eyes blinked once in surprise, then closed. He look tired.

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"I don't care. Will you just do me a favor and COME HERE?" He looked startled at my risen voice, and waited a few seconds before climbing in the sheets with me. "I want you to stop thinking like that. Nothing's going to happen to me while you're with me, right?"

"You know I'll always protect you but I meant that.."

"No, thats it, end of story." He sighed and we lay there together for a while.

"Where's Kaede?"

"She's asleep already, along with Rin." More silence.

"Inuyasha…"

"Hmm?"

"Can we go home?" He seemed concerned.

"Are you sure you can?"

"I don't care… I wanna sleep in my own bed."

"Um. Okay. Here, I'll carry you." He lifted my still-limp body. Although I was feeling too weak to move, the aching had almost vanished. But I could still feel the bruises as his hands pressed up against my back. He walked, trying not to move much as not to hurt me.

"I'm really okay Inuyasha, I feel much better than I did before." He responded with a scoff and stay silent for the duration of our trip.

When we got home, he settled me down in our bed as gently as if I was a rare, fragile flower. In the dark, I tried to receive his embrace, but I soon regretted it. As his hands touched my back, I felt a pang of pain. Inuyasha realized this and quickly pulled away.

"I'm sorry" he whispered, almost inaudibly.

"It's okay" I whispered back.

We both fell asleep few minutes after, laying on the same bed, yet completely separated.

**FOLLOW US ON TUMBLR! **

**PLEASE FOLLOW OUR STORY (AND READ ALL THE CHAPTERS) AT . , . ! **


	4. Chapter 4

**FOLLOW US ON TUMBLR! **

**PLEASE FOLLOW OUR STORY (AND READ ALL THE CHAPTERS) AT . , . ! **

"Dadda, we want raith" Hana said, tugging on her father's clothes.

"You mean rice?"

"Yeth. Das what I sed. Raith." Miroku giggled at her and picked her up to put her in his lap.

"Her S's are really starting to worry me, Akira doesn't do that." Sango said, always over protective and hovering over her daughters' every move.

"It's the teeth, Sango, don't worry about it, she'll get it." I said as I lay on one huge Kilala. Her fur was smooth and warm, it felt nice against my healing skin. It's been about two weeks since the plant demon incident and I was getting stronger every day.

"Hana, say 'rice'." Sango ordered.

"Raith"

"Rice"

"Raith!" I couldn't help but start to laugh at Sango's pointless frustration.

It was dusk and we were enjoying the warm air under a tree by the lake. Kazuko was awake, and moving awkwardly around the grass with Akira. Someone was missing though.

"Hey Kagome, shouldn't Inuyasha have come back by now?"

"A while ago actually, he's been gone for a few hours." Sango and Miroku looked at each other and back at me, their eyes full of concern. This wasn't like him at all. I tried to sound calm.

"He's been doing this for a couple days now. These 'walks'. He seems really uptight for some reason, I don't know, I just think the best thing right now is to give him some space, you know?" Miroku and Sango were still a little speechless.

"Err, right, but um, don't you even know where he is?" No.

"Yeah, off in the woods."

"Oh. Well. Okay then." Miroku said, not wanting to offend me.

"But-" Sango began to say, before she was interrupted by a sound in the bushes.

"What was that?" I asked. We were all alert and looking directly towards the bush where the sound came from. Kilala was up as fast as a spark, and already on fire, growling intimidatingly at the space before her.

"Ooohhhh." Someone was making or attempting to make an ominous sound. Sango jumped over and in front of Kazuko and Akira, and Miroku held Hana closer to his chest. Suddenly a giant, pink, ball-shaped balloon began emerging from the bushes.

"Ooooh." It said again. Once it was hovering above the bush, it transformed into Shippo, who was falling from mid-air and fell into the bush, bouncing and clutching his stomach as he shook, laughing.

"Shippo!" "Foxy!" Yelled Akira and Hana, who were making their way towards Shippo as they would whenever they saw him.

"SHIPPO! How could you?" Sango scolded.

"I can't believe you bought that! God, if that would've happened during a test I would've been promoted for sure!" He said, and continued laughing as Hana and Akira tackled him. Everyone else just glared at him.

"That wasn't very nice Shippo." I said, trying to make him feel bad and at the same time hide the fact that I was actually really happy to see him.

"Okay, okay fine, I'm sorry. How are you guys doing?"

"Fine, we're just enjoying the afternoon out here." Miroku answered. Hana grabbed him by the ears and pounced on him,

"I slayed you again, Shippo!"

"Girls come on, let the fox be." Miroku said.

"Hey, I was meaning to ask, why was Inuyasha over at Mount Kokoro?" Shippo asked. Mount Kokoro? Wasn't that miles away? Why would he go so far? Miroku and Sango stared at me blankly.

"I… " have not the slightest idea. "I mean, he probably just felt like running." I responded nervously. I didn't want them to make a big deal out of it but at the same time, I was probably the most worried. There was something wrong with him, but what could it be that he couldn't share with me? I just, it made me feel terrible.

"Kagome, you don't know a thing about Mount Kokoro, do you?" Miroku said, his face cocked to one side.

"Well, yeah, it's…" Oh, who am I kidding. "I have no idea."

Miroku looked down. I would've normally expected him to react differently; to laugh maybe.

"Mount Kokoro is the mountain of immortality. Legend, and if you'll allow me to emphasize, it's only a legend, has it that at the very core of the mountain lies a stone, it's a precious stone, thousands of years old. They say that whomever was to have it in their possession would possess the gift of eternal life." We stood in silence. It was as if I had all the pieces were in front of me but I, for some reason couldn't put the obvious together. There was something I wasn't getting, something everyone else already knew.

"Why would Inuyasha want something like that? He's a half-demon, he's going to live long enough as it is…" Shippo looked dubious. We were still quiet. After a moment Miroku answered.

"Kagome had an accident a few weeks ago… He might've…" He stopped himself. Unsure how to continue, watching me, observing my reaction.

"Well, it's okay right? It's fine? It's just a stone after all." Miroku just looked at me, Sango behind him, watching me as well. What wasn't I getting?

"Mount Kokoro is an extremely dangerous place, Kagome. It's beautiful, it has an amazing bright aura of pink and purple but it's one of the most dangerous places known to us. It doesn't have a barrier because it doesn't need one, it has thousands of guardian demons that are dedicated to guarding the stone. Only he who can slay the one thousand guardian demons will be able to prove that he is worthy of the stone." I could see that he had even more to say but he stopped once again after noticing my reaction. I'd fallen, depressed, too saddened to continue listening to him. What has Inuyasha gotten himself into? Oh God, if anything happens to him…

"I… I don't… Why would…" I felt a lump in my throat so heavy I couldn't even formulate a question. Tears filled my eyes.

"Oh, Kagome!" Sango rushed towards me and hugged me. It was a tender embrace but not even that could make me feel less bitter. Kilala, who was now small and about the size of my hands was meowing and rubbing herself across my legs in an attempt to comfort me.

Just as I was trying to put myself together for the sake of everyone around me, he appeared.

"What's going on? Kagome, you okay?" Inuyasha came out of nowhere, and in that same instant I felt my entire body fill with rage.

"Why would you do this Inuyasha?! You idiot!" Inuyasha turned to look at me. First he was confused, but soon his face turned a bright ruby red.

"Err, uh, what are you talking about?" Liar. He knew exactly what I meant.

"Mount Kokoro?! The mountain of immortality, maybe you've heard of it!" Inuyasha glared at everyone else around, looking for a culprit, someone to blame.

I couldn't take it anymore. It was too much tension, I turned my back and stomped off, heading in no particular direction.

"Wait, Kagome!" Inuyasha screamed, emphasizing each syllable of my name, the way he always did when he was trying to get my attention.

"Inuyasha, SIT!" I heard him as he hit the ground while I walked away. I couldn't even bring myself to answer, I just picked up the pace.

Soon enough I arrived at the meadow, the place where the forest and the tall trees stopped and yellow flowers reigned. A beautiful, open field of green, spotted with gold. But as harmonic as it was, it did nothing to ease my anger. I continued walking until I was further into the meadow and I dropped to my knees, then backwards onto my back, embracing the pain began flowing through me as my wounded back hit the ground. I could feel the bruises on my shoulder blades complaining. Moments passed. Maybe even hours. I couldn't tell. My mind was jumbled up.

I tried to stop thinking about it. So stupid! Life was fine the way it was, what would I do if something happened to Inuyasha?

"Kagome?" Right on cue I heard my name being called softly. I didn't need to look to know who it was.

"How long have you been there?"

"A while." Silence. I couldn't say anything.

"Kagome, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Mount Kokoro." I was still waiting for some kind of explanation. He came and sat next to me, close, yet not touching me. I took a moment to breathe deeply.

"I didn't think you would understand. Kagome, you know I'm not immortal, but I do have demon blood flowing through my veins, and I live so much longer than humans. I'll live ten times longer than you will. And I don't know how I'll live with myself without you. Those three years you were away… it was painful for me. I never thought I'd see you again. And after the accident with the plant demon, I don't know, it just got me thinking. We've been through so much together… the stone… it think it's worth it Kagome." I didn't know how to respond. I hadn't thought about it from that point of view. And even if I had, wasn't it still too dangerous to be worth it?

"But Inuyasha, the guardian demons, there's a thousand of them! Maybe more! You think you'll just be able to get the stone easily?" Then I was angry again. I sat up and looked at him. "You're just being selfish. What if something were to happen you, huh? What then?"

"You're right… I'm sorry." He stopped to look at me. "But we can do this Kagome, I know we can."

"But what if you…" I stopped. I couldn't even say it.

I just reached for his hand, lacing our fingers together, and lay back down. He followed my action, and we both laid there, staring at the vast expanse of the sky above us. We just lay silent.

Thinking.

What if?

**FOLLOW US ON TUMBLR! **

**PLEASE FOLLOW OUR STORY (AND READ ALL THE CHAPTERS) AT . , . ! **


	5. Chapter 5

**FOLLOW US ON TUMBLR!**

**PLEASE FOLLOW OUR STORY (AND READ ALL THE CHAPTERS) AT : **

**the inuyasha epilogue . tumblr . com . without spaces. **

*Contains adult content, I don't wanna be responsable for popping some kid's internet-cherry so keep it in mind!*

Chapter 5

We spent the remainder of the day in the meadow until it became too dark and cold to stay. As we were walking back home, I asked him,

"Inuyasha, if we were to get the stone, and I were to become immortal, would I get any special powers? Would it make me… a demon?"

"No, it doesn't work that way. You stay the way you are, except you don't grow old. Your health stays intact. And your wounds heal in half the time. You can still die though, if struck through the heart." I thought about it. As I walked and felt my legs and lower back aching from my wounds, I thought about how nice it would be to have healed already.

"If you didn't get the stone yet, then what have you been doing these past few weeks?" I asked, intrigued.

"Investigating. Finding out all I could about the mountain from Myoga, getting to know the area, memorizing the scent…"

"Myoga knew about this?!"

"Of course, after all he serves me Kagome."

"Hmph! That flea!" I said, angry at Myoga for not telling me anything.

"Ha, don't be so mad at him. I told him you were okay with it."

"Inuyasha!"

"What! You are now, aren't you?"

"I… don't know. Maybe. Maybe, if we could get back together, you, me, Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kilala… we might be able to do it." I thought about it as I said it, looking straight ahead, remembering the times we'd lived together fighting Naraku.

"We could do it. We really could." There was a moment of silence. I don't know wether it was nostalgia or something else but we both seemed to be deep in thought. "Anyway, that's enough about Mount Kokoro. I got a surprise for you." He instantly had my full, undivided attention. "Come on, keep walking…" We were headed in the direction of our house.

Once we got to the door, he slid it open, and inside was a beautifully prepared dinner for two. It was a meat of sorts with a side of rice and in the middle a basket with fruits. I gasped at the sight.

"Inuyasha…!" He was still looking just at me.

"I know I haven't been around lately these past two weeks, and I ditched you that time you wanted to have lunch for the exorcism with Miroku… I wanted to do something for you. It's nothing like the ninja food you used to bring but it was the closest I could find."

"Right, because risking your life isn't good enough," I replied sarcastically, glancing at him from the corner of my eye.

"Come on, let's go eat, I'm starved." I was still staring at the prepared meal in awe, and he grabbed me by the hand and dragged me inside.

We ate dinner together quietly. It was actually really good, if you considered Inuyasha had cooked it. He had really outdone himself. When we were finished, Inuyasha let out a yawn. He looked charmingly drowzy.

"Is the puppy too sleepy? Does he want to go to bed?" I asked teasingly.

Inuyasha smirked, and he stared at me, his eyes glinting with some sort of strong feelings.

"I'm not that tired, if you were wondering."

"Why would I be wondering?" I questioned, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

He laughed at my little naïve act. I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't heard him laugh in a long time. It was nice.

"Well, I have some ideas why…"

Before I could react, Inuyasha was already next to me. His arms grabbed me softly and carried me to the bed.

"Are your wounds alright?" he asked, a bit concerned.

"Trust me, I'll be fine."

He laughed again and I joined him, giggling a bit. It was hard trying to get in a sultry mood with Inuyasha. We had been friends for too long, and we were a bit awkward when it came to the romance department. I myself found it quite endearing.

I turned around, and started unbottoning my long, pink dress that I'd decided to wear that day instead of the usual white and red outfit; but halfway he got bored and decided to rip it off with his nails.

"That was silk, you idiot" I exclaimed in surprise, hurriedly turning around.

He shrugged tried to surpress a smile.

"I'll buy you a new one. I'll make it worth it, I promise. Now finish undressing for me. I want to see you."

I could feel my cheeks turned slightly red. The way he had said the word 'want' made me feel slightly embarrased. I slowly pulled myself away from my dress (or what was left of it) and exposed my body to him. I shivered involuntarily as my skin was touched by the air of the cool spring night.

Inuyasha just looked at me, his golden eyes filled with that emotion. There was desire and love, and maybe even a hint of sadness or hope. He deftly undressed himself. His abdomen was exposed for my viewing pleasure. Other things were exposed too, but I tried to focus on his chest before we got too intimate.

Inuysha slowly cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. It was a sweet kiss, feeled with all the raw emotion I has seen in his pupils. His tounge flickered against my bottom lip, and I let it entered my mouth, slowly. It was all so slow and gentle and perfect that my mind started melting away with his every touch. His hands moved to my back as our kiss became more intense, fingertips trailing against my spine. I let out a sigh of pleasure and shivered. I started fumbling with his ears, scratching them slightly and pulling them.

As things got more heated up, Inuyasha made me lay on the bed, my back againt the matress. He planted small kiss all the way from my throat to my naval. His lips set my skin on fire.

Then he grabbed my legs and parted them away, settling himself between them.

He looked into my eyes, the light of the moon reflecting on his dilatated pupils. He gaze was intense and asking.

"Kagome" he murmured, almost purred, begging for permition.

I nodded slightly, and being as careful as possible, he entered me, always staring right into my eyes.

I could feel him inside, at first painfully, but soon his thrusts became more regular and I moaned. It felt like a thousand fires burnings, a constellation of stars in the pits of my stomach. We moved like two perfectly created machines, in complete synchrony. Inuyasha hurried his pace, panting, sweat beads forming on his forehead.

We kept on like this through the night, until we finally lost all senses and submerged into pleasure.

We ended one on top of another, slightly out of breath. Inuyasha kissed my wet forehead.

"Kagome, no matter what happens, I love you. Never forget that, promise?"

I looked at his handsome face, his silver hair pooling around it like a perfect aura.

"I love you too."

He smiled and I pressed my body against his.

We fell asleep in that position, unitied, like one soul in two bodies.

**FOLLOW US ON TUMBLR! **

**PLEASE FOLLOW OUR STORY (AND READ ALL THE CHAPTERS) AT . , . !**

** .com - without the spaces. **


	6. Chapter 6

**FOLLOW US ON TUMBLR!**

**PLEASE FOLLOW OUR STORY (AND READ ALL THE CHAPTERS) AT :**

**the inuyasha epilogue . tumblr . com . without spaces.**

"Sango, please, just think about it!" I pleaded once more.

"Kagome, you don't get it. This isn't the same as when we fought against Naraku. When we fought against him, we had nothing to lose. But it's different now, I have a family I need to look after. I have three young kids! I can't abandon them to go kill demons. And anyway Kagome, haven't you heard the stories about Mount Kokoro? No one's ever come out of there alive. Their bodies, their spirits, they just… vanish."

Sango had refused to come with Inuyasha and myself to Mount Kokoro to help retrieve the stone within it, the stone that would grant me my happy ever after, the life I wanted, with Inuyasha, forever. Miroku had agreed to help, but he was concerned about becoming more of a burden than any help, after all, his wind tunnel was gone and he wouldn't be much help without it. I hated to admit it, but it was true.

"But Sango, it's always been us together, it's the only way we were able to defeat Naraku before and it's the only way we'll be able to accomplish this now!" I explained. Sango sighed. I just looked down.

I knew why she kept denying me. I understood her reasons, I did. But I needed her.

"I'm sorry Kagome. I really am. I can lend you Kilala, but much more than that I can't do." I kept my eyes down for another moment then did my best to smile at her.

"It's okay Sango. I'll see you later okay? I'm going to go take a walk."

I didn't know where to go. Inuyasha and Miroku were off exorcising a house, and I couldn't handle being around Sango. I wasn't mad at her. Maybe just a bit let down, but that was all.

I walked slowly in the direction of the cliff, my special place that I shared with Inuyasha. I hadn't realized how long the path was when Inuyasha was carrying me, but now I could really get a sense of it's length. I got there and to my surprise, Rin was there holding yet another kimono and waving towards the sky. I could guess what'd happened.

"Sesshomaru, right?" I asked.

"Oh, Kagome! Yes, look! Another kimono!" She lifted up her arms to show me a beautiful small light blue kimono, decorated with small white flowers that seemed to bloom from the fabric.

"That's the fifth you've recieved from him right?"

"Yeah, I miss him."

"But do you like living in the village? With humans?"

"I like it, but, I really miss Lord Sesshomaru, I wanted to be with him forever before, and that hasn't changed now, but I'll stay here and try it out if that's what he thinks is best." She answered honestly. I smiled in response. Her devotion and loyalty to Sesshomaru was remarkable, especially for a small girl whose first instinct should naturally be to be afraid of demons.

"Well I'm going to go head back Kagome, or else Kaede will start to worry."

"Alright Rin, see you around." I responded with a smile. I watched from behind as Rin ran away, humming a lullaby.

Once I was alone at the cliff, I just sat there, thinking and tugging at the grass. There was no way we could do this without Sango and Miroku; there's no way I'd let Inuyasha even try…

I sat there for a few moments more, alone with my thoughts, until I eventually sighed and headed back to the village.

Once there, I was surprised to see Inuyasha standing outside our house with Kohaku. Kohaku looked as bold as ever standing next to Inuyasha, in his demon slayer outfit, holding his weapon.

"Hey Kagome! Look who we ran into today while we were out!" Inuyasha exclaimed from a small distance. As I got closer, I greeted Kohaku warmly.

"Hey Kohaku, how've you been?" I asked him.

"Pretty good. So I heard about Mount Kokoro," He paused to look at both of us. "I want in." Inuyasha looked at him and then back at me, grinning.

"That's great!" I replied. Kohaku was younger than Sango, but he had been getting stronger over the last few years of his life. He was truly devoted to his training.

Kohaku laughed at my reaction, then swung his weapon over his shoulder and turned his back.

"I'm gonna go visit Sango for a while, see you around!" He said as he headed away in the direction of Sango's house.

"So that's you, me, Kohaku and Kilala." Inuyasha said. It was true, Kohaku would be a big help, but I still felt uncertain. "Oh, and I forgot. Shippo too."

"Shippo's coming?"

"Yeah. I guess the kid's really starting to overcome his fears, seeing as he volunteered and all." Okay, now I knew he was lying.

"Inuyasha, what did you do to Shippo?" I questioned coldly, closing my eyelids halfway in disbilief. Inuyasha hunched down, his brow furrowed. He looked like a child being scolded.

"Uh, what? No, um, nothing." He mumbled, pausing after every word.

"Oh, God Inuyasha. Where is he?" I said, looking at my surroundings. My eyes searched for the little fox-demon until I found a displeasing surprise.

Right near Sango's house, was Shippo, drunkardly walking forward. He looked dizzy, with his eyes half open and there was a big bump on his head.

"Hey Ka-go-me." He said as he got closer.

"Inuyasha! Look what you did to him!"

"What! He used his spinning top on me! And anyway, it was just a short discussion!" Inuyasha exclaimed, although I was no longer paying any attention to him. I had knelt down to Shippo's height and took a look at his throbbing head.

"Inuyasha…" I said in a perfectly calm voice, looking up at him.

"… What?" He asked, scared.

"Sit boy." His beads made a sound and he instantly fell to the floor.

"W..why…" He gasped as he lay there, twitching.

"Shippo, you don't have to come to Mount Kokoro if you don't want to." I said.

"No, no, I want to go." He said

"Told… you.." Inuyasha bragged from the ground.

I looked at him, then back at Shippo. "Are you sure? It's dangerous, you know? You might even be risking your life."

Shippo's tail flicked nervously for a while, then finally settled down. His emerald eyes gazed at mine, filled with a confidence I never thought the fox-demon could manage.

"I'm sure Kagome. I want to prove myself that I can be strong. I want to help you. Please let me go with you!" I could do nothing but nod. Inuyasha stared at Shippo like in a trance. After some time he spoke.

"Thanks…" he said so softly, it was almost a whisper.

With those words my heart rose. I tried not to be too positive, lest we found ourselves unable to reach our goal. But at that moment, I felt like maybe, just maybe, everything was possible.

**FOLLOW US ON TUMBLR! **

**PLEASE FOLLOW OUR STORY (AND READ ALL THE CHAPTERS) AT . , . ! **


End file.
